As the ravaging flood of Kashmir has emptied the city of its dwellers, the burglars in Srinagar are having a field day.
"Four members of my family stay in a relief camp, but every night I swim back to my house and prefer to sleep under the roof to take care of our belonging," said Gulzar Ahmed a resident of Gogji Bagh area.
On September 7, when the floodwater started to enter these localities, the residents had to abandon their houses in a hurry leaving these houses vulnerable to thieves.
"Many people even refused to be rescued as they wanted to take care of their houses.
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"In many areas where the water level has receded people are now returning to their houses," Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had said.
Since last Tuesday, when Abdul Hamid was rescued by the army after his house was inundated in Jawahar Nagar area he regularly comes to keep an eye on his house.
"Though a large portion of my house is still under water, I regularly come here to keep an eye on the house. I am concerned as the incidents of burglaries have increased in this area," said Hamid.
"Two days ago we noticed a few burglars wadding into waist high water as they tried to break into a house.
"We raised alarm and they somehow managed to escape," said Karanjeet Singh a resident of Allochi Bagh locality.
With large portion of many houses still submerged in floodwater, many people are putting their lives on risk to return to their house.
The flood-hit residents in the Srinagar city say that they have lost everything, but they will try their best to save whatever they are left with from falling into the hands of burglars.